Television users are presently able to access hundreds of channels providing a multitude of programs, only a small fraction of which will be of interest to a given user. To assist the user in determining programs of interest, current commercially available reception devices such as televisions, analog cable receivers, and digital cable and satellite receivers typically provide a program guide function that allows the user to access a grid showing programs that will be available on various channels in upcoming time slots. Brief descriptions of programs may also be accessible. Such receivers may also allow the user to search for programs in basic categories such as news, sports, movies, etc.
Current commercially available television recording technology also provides similar tools. For example, digital video recording machines, which typically store video on a bulk storage device such as a hard disk drive, allow users to select programs for recording using an on screen program guide that provides keyword searching of program titles, a program time grid, and basic program categorization.
Although these devices provide tools that improve over devices of earlier generations, these devices do not adequately address at least two situations. First, these devices fail to keep a user in touch with breaking news, local weather alerts, and program content that might be of interest when other program content is being viewed. Thus, these devices can create a dangerous situation for a user that is left unaware of a local severe weather alert, an evacuation order, or the like.
In addition, these devices tend to capture or identify too large of a result set when attempting to identify content that should be of interest to a user. As a result, these conventional tools still require users to examine upcoming programs to identify programs of interest. Thus, developers of the next generation of devices are focused on providing intelligence in receiving and recording devices for identifying programs of interest on behalf of the user.
Despite the development of multiple approaches to provide improved program guides to a user there is still a need for improved approaches for keeping a user informed of available program content whether or not the user is presently viewing a program from a content provider.